We have undertaken a wide range of business and consumer market segmentations for commercial clients covering areas as diverse as insurance, banking, work/life balance, computer games, Internet trading and advertising tracking. We have also undertaken several segmentations for the public sector, including the COI, Defra and BERR (DTI), ranging from a segmentation of UK farmers to advertising campaign evaluations. 

 Case studies

1. We successfully ran a customer segmentation for a long established electronic games publisher for over 5 years, helping to increase the company’s share of the UK market from 9% to 13% over a 3 year period. The segmentation exposed a type of gamer previously overlooked by the industry and completely revamped the company’s marketing strategy, enabling segment specific messages to be targetted to key audiences. The project was rolled out to 18 other geographic markets, and earned Continental the British Market Research Association Award for Innovation in 2001.


2. Continental Research developed an attitudinal market segmentation on behalf of eBay in 2004. Over 8,000 quantitative interviews were conducted with online shoppers using a mixed methodology of telephone and online. The clusters derived were instrumental in guiding eBay UK’s first ever TV ad campaign and ongoing marketing activity. Magic questions enabled eBay to identify which segment it’s existing customers and potential customers belonged to, for more effective targetting of media and marketing messages. New customer acquisitions in two target segments were significantly higher as a result.


3. In late 2006, we undertook a segmentation of adult learners on behalf of DfES/DIUS. This time we used existing data collected by another research organisation which the client wanted to utilise to develop discrete segments for more effective targeting. 10 segments were developed, ranging from “Educated and Enlightened” at one extreme to “Unhappy and Unfulfilled” at the other. The segments at the extremes were of less interest to DIUS, as one was already participating in adult learning and the other probably never would. Of more interest were the segments in between, where there were a range of constraints inhibiting the uptake of adult learning initiatives. By understanding these different constraints and then being able to target each segment with messages aimed at overcoming their particular constraint, the department hoped to improve the efficiency of its communications activity. The advertising agency involved in the project were using a TGI recontact survey with the magic questions to help derive segment specific media plans.


4. This year we carried out a campaign evaluation of Consumer Direct for the DTI, via COI. This evaluated press and radio in terms of awareness, usage, understanding and attitudes and involved segmenting consumers according to their attitudes and behaviour towards making complaints. Research was carried out face to face to aid recognition measures.


5. Through COI, we also conducted a segmentation as part of a project to monitor the effectiveness of a chewing gum advertising campaign. Two waves of research were undertaken, firstly to identify segments defined by their attitudes to using and disposing of chewing gum, and then at the post stage, an evaluation was undertaken to determine whether any segments had increased or decreased in size, as a result of the campaign.


6. The segmentation for the DTI (BERR) of UK businesses’ attitudes towards innovation proved to be one of the most interesting business to business segmentations Continental has produced. The results of the attitudinal segmentation allowed BERR to identify which businesses could be most effectively targetted to improve their capacity to innovate, because they wanted to be innovative but faced certain barriers, and the businesses where the resource would be less useful, either because they were already innovative or as they were found to be unlikely to ever take action. The techniques used to develop the segmentation and the resulting impact of the segmentation on BERR were the subject of an innovation paper presented at the annual BIG conference in 2006, and can be read in full by clicking on the link below.